Music-sheet perforator.



A. W; 'STONESTREET.

MUSIC SHEET PERFORATOR.

APPLICATION TILED MAB.16,1912. 1,033,333. Patented July 23,1912.

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MUSIC SHEET PBRFORATOR.

APPLICATION FILED MAR.16, 1912.

1,033,633. Patented July 23,1912.

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MUSIC SHEET PERFORATOR.

APPLICATION FILED MAR. 16, 1912.

1,033,633. Patented July 23,1912.

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MUSIC SHEET PERFORATOR.

APPLICATION FILED MAR. 16, 1912. 1,033,633. Patented July 23, 1912.

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MUSIC SHEET PERPORATOR.

APPLICATION FILED MAR.16, 1912.

1,033,633. Patented July 23,1912.

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MUSIC SHEET PERFORATOR.

APPLICATION FILED MAB.16,1912.

Patented July 23, 1912.

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ARTHUR W. STONESTREET, OF PASADENA, CALIFORNIA, ASSIGNOR TO THE WESTERN MUSIC ROLL COMPANY, OF BAKERSFIELD, CALIFORNIA, A CORPORATION OF CALIFORNIA.

MUSIC-SHEET PERFORATOR.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented July 23, 1912.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, ARTHUR W. STONE- STREET, a citizen of the United States, residing at Pasadena, Los Angeles county, California, have invented. a new and useful Music-Sheet Perforator, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates primarily to the perforation of sheets used in automatic musical instruments and player pianos and secondarily to the perforation of sheets for any devices or machines which use such perforated sheets, and has several new and novel features. As this machine was invented to record the music as played by a performer upon the piano or to reproduce perforations in a master sheet passed over a tracker board, it necessarily follows that the sheet to be perforated must be passed by the punches at a positive and uniform rate of speed, and that the punches must be capable of being brought positively into or out of action practically instantaneously.

Another feature is that the sheets are automatically trimmed at the same time as they are perforated, so that the edges of the sheets will be in exact position with relation to the perforations of the sheets.

Another feature is a uniform feeding mechanism for feeding the master sheet over a tracker board, which controls the pneumatic and thus the punches, with means for keeping the sheets stretched tight and pneumatic means controlled by the master sheet for automatically reversing the master sheet and causing it to travel in the opposite direction during the cutting of the next series of sheets, and in like manner to again reverse the master sheet at the conclusion of the last perforations, and so on indefinitely, as it is immaterial in reproducing the perforations in the master sheet whether it travels forward or backward.

The machine as hereinafter fully described has proven highly efficient and satisfactory in use.

Referring to the drawings: Figure 1 is a side view of the machine. Fig. 2 is a front elevation with part broken away. Fig. 3 is an end elevation of the perforating portion of the machine. Fig. 4 is a section on line w w*, Fig. 2. Fig. 5 is a side elevation of a piano key and sectional view of the valve connected therewith. Fig. 6 is an end view of the reproducing portion of the machine,

part of the View being in section to show the pneumatic. F" 7 is a perspective view partly in section 0 the tracker board. Fig. 8 is an enlarged end elevation of the reproducing portion of the machine. Fig. 9 is a front elevation of the reproducing portion of the machine with parts broken away. Fig. 10 is a section on line w w 9. Fig. 11 is a section through a side frame of the perforating machine with the gearing removed, the section being on line w w Fig. 3. Fig. 12 is a perspective view of the trimmer with the presser foot removed. gig. 13 is a perspective view of the presser oot.

The general system of the invention is shown in Fig. 1, in which 1 designates the perforating machine, 2 designates the reproducing machine, and 3 designates a piano key. The perforating machine may be controlled either by the piano key 3 in making the first or master sheet, or by the reproducing machine 2 when the perforator is to be operated to reproduce other sheets from the master sheet. Thus the musician may first play a piece of music on the piano, during which the piano keys 3 will control the perforator l, and a master sheet will be perforated. After the master sheet has been perforated it is removed from the per forating machine 1 and placed in the reproducing machine 2. A series of imperforate sheets may then be placed in the perforating machine 1 and the machine then operated automatically, and as the master sheet travels along it will control the action of the punches in the perforating machine through the medium of suitable intermediate connections, including pneumatics 4, whereby a large number of sheets may be perforated from a single master sheet.

5 designates a pump for exhausting air in the passages controlled by the pneumatics.

Referring to Figs. 4 and 2, the perforating machine comprises a series of punches 6 which are slidable in a block 7 with a lubricating cavity 8 filled with a lubricant through which the punches slide and by means'of which they are automatically kept lubricated. Above the punches 6 is a die 9. 10 designates the sheets which are to be perforated, and which travel between the punch block 7 and die 9. The sheets 10 are propelled in the direction of the arrow, Fig. 4, by means of two rollers 11 and 12, the

lower one of which is driven by gearing to be described. The upper roller 12. is carr1ed by vertically slidable blocks 13, the posltion of which is regulated by vertical screws 14 operated by bevel gears 15, which mesh with bevel gears 16 on a cross shaft- 17 and are operated by a crank 18 which insures both ends of the roller 12 being adj usted uniformly. The feed rollers 11 and 12 are situated on the feed side of the punches, that is, they are on that side of the punches on which the imperforate portion of the paper moves, so that the rollers 11 and 12 act to push the sheets past the punches. These rollers 11 and 12 grip the paper firmly and are revolved at a uniform rate of speed.

The take-up rollers 19 and 20 are arranged on the opposite side of the punches and are friction rollers and being revolved more than twice as fast as the rollers 11 and 12, and being of the same diameter as the rollers 11 and 12 have a constant drawing or pulling effect on the paper and effectively remove the slack as hereinafter described.

The weight of the top roller 19 is depended upon to produce the necessary friction, and the function of the thumb screws 21 is merely to lift roller 19 when threading the paper 10 through the machine.

When a punch is in the paper the movement of the paper is arrested by the punch and during such time that part of the paper which lies between the rollers 11 and 12 and the punch is caused to bend slightly as the rollers 11 and 12 continue revolving at a uniform speed even while the punch is in the paper. The engagement of the punch in the paper is, however, but momentary, so that only a slight amount of bending of the paper occurs, which bend is immediately removed when the punch passes out of the paper by the take-up rollers 19, 20. Thus as the paper is not pulled along when the punches are in the paper, but is caused to travel by the pushing action of the rollers 11 and 12, the paper is not torn when the punches enter the paper, and this construction dispenses with an intermittent feeding mechanism.

The punches are positively moved both durin their upward unching movement into the paper and their downward retractive movement when being withdrawn from the paper. This positive actuation of the unch in both directions is an important eature as it enables the machine to be operated at high speed and to perforate many sheets at one time, as the punch cannotpossibly stick in the sheets, being positively withdrawn. Each punch is secured to a thin block 22 which is pivoted on a plate 23, the plate 23 being ri'veted to another thin plate 24, the plate 24 having a pro ectIng arm 25 and being formed with a notch 26.

The lower end of the late 24 is pivotally connected to a link 27, aving an arm 28 to which a spring 29 is connected which normally holds the link 27 to the left. The plates 23 are guided between bars 30 and are guided laterally between plates 31 and 32 which are spaced apart to form combs, the arms 25 of the plates 24 sliding between the plates 31 and the main portion of arms 25 sliding between plates 32.

33 designates a cross bar having a projecting ledge 34 at its lower side; The cross bar 33 has a constant vertical reciprocation in a manner to be described, and any of the punch carrying plates 24 may be rocked to engage their notches 26 with the ledge 34 and cause the punches thus connected to reciprocate with the cross bar 33, both during the upward movement and downward movement of the cross bar.

In Fig. 4 punch carrying plate 24 is shown in its disengaged or farthest position to the left. Particular attention is here called to the fact that in its disengaged position the underside of ledge 34 is engaged with a portion of notch 26. It is obvious that no matter what the osition of punch carrying plate 24 may be, it must be carried down by the reciprocation of cross-bar 33 and ledge 34. Thus when a plate 24 is shifted to engage its notch 26 with ledge 34, the punch which is connected with that plate will be moved up by the cross bar and will perforate the paper, and when the cross bar movesdown the plate will be positively carried down by the bar and the punch will thus be positively withdrawn from the paper. The cross bar 33 is connected at each end to lugs 35 which project from slides 36, each slide 36 being mounted to reciprocate in ways 37, and each slide having a pin 38 to which is pivoted an eccentric rod 39 operated by an eccentric 40 on the main shaft 41. The length of the eccentric rod 39 may be adjusted by means of a screw 42. A worm 43 on the end of the shaft 41 meshes with a worm gear 44 on a shaft 45 journaled in bearings 46, and the upper end of the shaft 45 carries a bevel pinion 47, which meshes with a bevel gear 48 on the roller 11. Meshing with the bevel car 48 is a bevel pinion 49 on a shaft 50 ournaled in bearings 51 and 52 and carrying a bevel gear 53 which meshes with a bevel gear 54 on the roller 20. The gearing just described serves to drive the feed rollers 11 and 12 and the take-up rollers 19 and 20 before described.

The ends of the links 27 and the lower ends of the {dates 24 are guided by a comb consisting o a series of thin plates 55 which are held in position by an angle bar 56. The plates 24 and punches are held in their lower position by a sto bar 57, held in place by a bar 58. The hnks 27 are respectively connected to bell crank levers 59 pivoted at 60, and the bell crank levers 59 are spaced apart and guided by a comb consisting of a series of thin plates 61 held in place by an angle bar 62.

In order to insure that the edges of the sheet will be in exact position with respect to the perforations, I provide means for automatically trimming the edges of the sheet as it progresses through the perforating machine. Secured to each slide 36 is a presser block 63, shown in detail in Fig. 12. Slidable in each presser block is a presser foot 64 which is yieldingly supported by coil springs 65. Projecting from the upper end of each presser block 63 is a trimmer knife 66. As clearly shown in Fig. 2, the presser foot and trimmer knife 66 lie immediately below the paper 10. When the slides 36 move up they cause the presser foot 64 to firmly hold the paper against the trimmer block 67, and further upward movement causes the trimmer knives 66 to cut the edges of the paper which project outside of the block 67. Thus as the knives 66 are positively positioned at a fixed and definite distance from the punches, the edges of the sheet when trimmed will invariably be in exact position with respect to the perforations in the sheet.

Each bell crank 59 is connected with a pneumatic 68 by a link 69. Each pneumatic 68 communicates with a chamber 70 which has a port 71 leading to a suction box 72. A chamber 73 is arranged next to the suction box 72 and is separated therefrom by a diaphragm 74. A valve stem 75 is slidably mounted in supports 76 and one end of it bears against the diaphragm 74. The valve stem 75 carries a valve 77 adapted to control the port 71 and a valve 78 adapted to control a port 79 to place the chamber 70 in communication with the atmosphere. Above the chamber 73 is a chamber 80 in constant communication with the atmosphere through a passage 81 and below the chamber 73 is a chamber 82, Below the chamber 82 is a chamber 83, which is separated from the chamber 82 by a diaphragm 84. A bypass 85 places the chamber 82 in constant communication with the chamber 83. Constant suction is maintained in the suction box 72 and chamber 82 by the pump 5, as shown in Fig. 1, which is connected by pipe 86 and branches 87 and 88 with the chambers 82 and 72 respectively.

Bearing against the diaphragm 84 is a valve stem-89, havin a valve 90 adapted to control a port 91 etween the chambers 73 and 82 and also carrying a valve 92 adapted to control a port 93 between the chambers 80 and 73. A pipe 94 leads from the chamber 83 to a valve 95 connected with the associated piano key 3. A pipe 96 branches from the pipe 94 and leads to the reproducing machine, as will be described. Upon depressing a key 3, valve 95 is opened, which permits atmospheric pressure to enter the pipe 94 and pass into chamber 83, lifting diaphragm 84, there being a vacuum in chambers 82 and 73 produced through branch pipe 87. It is to be noted that when the atmosphere enters chamber 83 the passage 85 is too small to permit air which thus enters to pass into the chamber 82 so that pressure is formed below the diaphragm 84 which lifts the valve stem 89 and closes valve 90 and opens valve 92. Vhen valve 90 is closed and 92 is opened they are held in their respective positions as long as piano key 3 is held down. Upon valve 92 being opened atmosphere enters through port 93 into chamber 73, and there being vacuum in chamber 72 diaphragm 74 is moved to the right, thus actuating valve stem 75 and closing valve 78 and opening valve 77. Cham ber 70 is closed to the atmosphere through port 79 and opened to suction through port 71 and chamber 72, whereupon the suction produced through branch 88 and chamber 72 exhausts the air from chamber 70 and pneumatic 68, collapsing the pneumatic. When the pneumatic is thus actuated it rocks bell crank lever 59, and the latter through link 27 draws over the plate 24, causing notch 26 to engage the ledge 34,

and thereby lock the punch with the cross bar 33 so that the punch will be reciprocated with the cross bar 33 as long as the pneumatic 68 is kept collapsed. This condition continues until the piano key is released to close valve 95, whereupon no more atmosphere can enter pipe 94, and the air which is in pipe 94, chamber 83 and chamber 82 is exhausted through branch pipe 87, and when this takes place the valve stem 89 falls,

the atmospheric pressure in chamber 80 holding valve 92 closed. Valve 90 thus opens and causes chambers 73 to exhaust into chamber 82, whereupon atmospheric pressure against the outside of valve 78 overcomes the lesser pressure of the suction chamber 73 against diaphragm 74 so that valve stem 75 moves to the left, opening valve 78 and closing valve 77 permitting atmosphere to enter chamber 70 and the pneumatic, thereby restoring the pneumatic and rocking bell crank lever 59 to original position and releasing notch 26 from ledge 34 so that the punch ceases movement. This restoring movement of the linkage connecting the punch with the pneumatic is produced by the reaction of spring 29 which is allowed to act when the pneumatic becomes filled with atmospheric air.

The action of the pneumatics is practically instantaneous and'as the cross bar 33 and ledge 34 reciprocate at least fifteen hundred times a minute the greatest length of time which can elapse before notch 26 in plate 24 would engage with ledge 34 would be 60/1500, or one twenty-fifth of a second. Thus as the musician plays on the piano the punches associated with the respective keys which are played will be locked with the constantly reciprocating cross bar 33 and will perforate the sheet as the music is played. It should be understood that as the cross bar 33 reciprocates constantly at a rapid rate so that if the piano key is held down, as for a whole note, the progression of the paper will cause the perforation of the paper to be elongated, the length of the slot thus produced being dependent upon the length of time in which the punch is caused to reciprocate while the paper is moving through a given distance. For a shorter note the elongation will be shorter, While for the shortest note the perforation in the paper will be substantially round, or the shape of the punch, as the paper will not move far enough to produce an elongation during the short time in which the punch is operated.

After the first or master sheet has been perforated, any number of reproductions may be made from this sheet by means of the reproducer.

Referring especially to Figs. 6 to 10, the

reproducer comprises side plates 100 with bearings 101, in which is mounted a vertical shaft 102. The shaft 102 has a bevel gear 103 which is driven by a bevel gear 104 on shaft 105. The shaft 105 is driven by a bevel gear 106 which meshes with a bevel gear 107 on the main driving shaft 41, so that the shaft 102 is constantly revolved. Loosely mounted on the shaft 102 are clutch members 108, 108, and splined on the shaft 102 are clutch members 109, 109". Each of the latter clutch members may be operated longitudinally by a grooved collar 110 which is actuated by a lever 111. The lever 111 is pivoted at 112 to a link 113, which is pivoted to a pneumatic 114. Both pneumatics 114 are connected by a link 115, the length of which is such that when onepneumatic is exhausted the other is expanded, as shown in Fig. 6. Each lever 111 also is pivoted to a link 116, which is slotted at 117 and engages a pin 118 on a rock plate 119. Each plate 119 is journaled concentric with a bevel gear 120, which meshes with a bevel gear 121. One of the bevel gears 121 is connected to the clutch member 108 and the other bevel gear 120 is connected to the clutch member 108 Thus if the clutch members 108 and 109 are engaged as shown in Fig. 6, the lower bevel gear 120 will be driven, while upper bevel gear 120 will be idle, while if the clutch members 108 and 109 are connected instead of clutch members 108 and 109 the upper bevel gear 120 will be driven and the lower bevel gear 120 will be idle.

As shown in Fig. 10, reels 122 and 122 are provided to which the ends of the master sheet 10 are connected. From the reels 122 and 122 the master sheet 10 passes over rollers 123, 123*, thence over a tracker board 124, shown in detail in Fig. 7. The rollers 123 and 123 are respectively connected with and driven by the bevel ears 120 and 120, and their function is to frictionally engage and drive the master sheet in either direction, according to which one of these drivmg rolls is positively driven. Friction be tween the master sheet and the driving roll is produced by aprons 125 and 125, each apron traveling over rollers 126, 127 and 128. Each roller 126 and 127 is journaled in the side frames 129 on the reproducing machine, while each of the rollers 128 is journaled in its associated plates 119. Thus by moving the plate 119 on its axis, the roller 128 carried thereby will bring the apron into or out of frictional contact with the master sheet, according to the direction in which the plate 119 is turned. Thus in Fig. 10 the upper plate 119 is shown moved to the right and the associated apron 125 is out of frictional contact with the master sheet 10, while the lower plate 119 is shown tilted in the opposite direction which holds the apron 125 in frictional contact with the master sheet 10. Thus with the parts in the position shown in Fig. 10, the master sheet being in driving contact with the lower driving roller 123 and the lower driving roller 123 itself being in driving operation, the master sheet 10 will be operated in a corresponding direction.

As the master sheet 10 progresses from the tracker board 124 the perforations admit air to the tubes 96, before described, which correspond to the perforations through which air is admitted through the master sheet 10, and when air is admitted to a tube 96 the punch associated therewith is caused to reciprocate in the manner previously described through the actuation of the pneumatic 68. WVhen the master sheet has passed entirely across the tracker board so that the concluding notes in the piece have been reproduced, I provide means for automatically causing the master sheet to be reversed in its direction of travel and to travel back across the tracker board in reverse direction. Obviously in this reverse travel the'notes will arrive at the tracker board in reverse order to their regular order in the piece, but this is of no consequence, as the master sheet at this time is being used for the mechanical reproduction of other sheets, from which latter sheets the music will be played. By causing the master sheet to be automatically reversed at the end of its travel each time, I effect a large economy of time.

Both pneumatics 114 and 114 are similar in construction and operation and one only need be described. A chamber 130 is separated from a chamber 131 by a diaphragm 132 which operates a valve stem 133 carrying a valve 134 which is adapted to control a port 135 which leads to a chamber 136. The chamber 136 communicates with the pneumatic 114 through a port 137. Both chambers 130 and 131 communicate with a passage 138 which leads through a pipe 139 to a marginal slot 140 in the tracker board, (see Fig. 9).

A suction is maintained in chamber 131 by a pipe 141 which joins a pipe 142 leading to the suction pum 5. It is to be noted that in Fig. 6 the p1pe 141 is not seen communicating with the lower chamber 131 as the wall of the chamber is broken away; the corresponding pipe 141 for the upper pneumatic is seen, and in Fig. 1 both pipes 141 are seen leading to the pipe 142. The suction in chamber 131 acting through passage 143 draws air out of the passage 138 and pipe 139, and also-acting through port 144 draws a suction in chamber 130.

When the end of the master sheet is reached, a special marginal perforation 145, see Fig. 9, comes in register with slot 140, thereby admitting air to the associated pipe 139 which passes into passage 138, then through port 144 into chamber 130, and acts upon diaphragm 132, moving the same to the right, thereby opening valve 134 and lacing chamber 136 in communication w1th chamber 131, whereupon suction in chamber 131 acting through chamber 136 and port 137 exhausts the pneumatic 114 which pushes up on link 115 and throws clutch member 109 into engagement with clutch member 108*, and at the same time moves the lower apron 125 into engagement with the master sheet, thereby reversing the direction of movement of the master sheet and causing it to travel in the opposite direction. As soon as the master sheet has moved enough to bring its special perforation 145 out of register with slot 140 in the tracker board, the suction in chamber 131 acting through port 143 drains the passage 138 and pipe 139 and chambers 130 and the diaphragm 132 then moves to the left, opening passage 135 and permittin atmosphere to enter chamber 136 and passt rough the port 137 into the pneumatic 114 and expand the same. When the special perforation opened the slot in the tracker board and the lower pneumatic became collapsed or moved up, the link 115 1n the upper pneumatic was thereby expanded. This action occurred because at this time the upper pneumatic was exhausted and it acted passively in resisting the collapsing of the lower pneumatic. When, however, the special perforation passes away from the reversing slot in the tracker board the pneumatic 114 is again exhausted so that its condition becomes the same as that in the upper pneumatic, and as pressures in both pneumatics are then even they will both expand a corresponding amount, bringing the link 115 to a central position. This movement is not suflicient acting through links 113 to either engage the upper clutch members 108, 109 or to entirely disengage the lower clutch members 108, 109 and the lower clutch members therefore continue to drive the lower feed roller 120. Likewise the slots 117 in links 116 permit of this centering movement of the pneumatic without disturbing the angular position of either of the apron carrying plates 119. It is only the extreme movement of a pneumatic which is effective in disengaging the clutches or shifting the aprons.

What I claim is:

1. In a music sheet perforator, a master sheet, perforating means, a tracker board over which the master sheet operates, pneumatic means connected with the tracker board for operating the perforating means, mechanism for moving said master sheet in both directions, and automatic means for causing the master sheet to reverse its direction of travel at definite points in its length.

2. In a music sheet perforator, a master sheet, a tracker board over which the master sheet operates, perforating means, pneumatic means connected with the tracker board for controlling said perforating means, mechanism for operating the master sheet in both directions, pneumatic meansfor controlling the direction of movement of said mechanism, said pneumatic means having a connection with a definite part of the tracker board, the master sheet having a erforation which is adapted to be moved into register with said definite part of the tracker board for causing the associated pneumatic means to operate and reverse the direction of movement of said mechanism.

3. In a music sheet perforator, a master sheet, two reels on which the master sheet is wound, mechanism for driving either of said reels, 'a tracker board over which the master sheet travels, intermediate supporting rollers over which the master sheet travels, two aprons, each apron comprising an endless belt, a movable roller supporting one loop of each belt, and means for moving said latter roller to move the apron into or out of engagement with the master sheet.

4. In a music sheet erforator, a master sheet, two reels on whlch the master sheet is wound, mechanism for driving either of said reels, a tracker board over which the master sheet travels, intermediate supporting rollers over which the master sheet travels, two aprons, each apron comprising an endless belt, a movable roller supporting one loop of each belt, neumatically controlled mechanism for sl iifting one of said movable rollers toward and the other away from the master sheet, and a connection from said pneumatically controlled mechanism to the tracker board, the said master sheet having two perforations adapted to come into register with the tracker board 10 and permit automatic operation of the pneumatically controlled shifting mechanism to reverse the direction of travel of the master sheet.

In testimony whereof; I have hereunto set my hand at San Francisco California 15 this first day of March 1912.

ARTHUR W. STONESTREET. In presence of A. C. BUSTEEDE, HARRY PULLEN. 

